ABSTRACT
This chapter examines various approaches to establishing trustworthiness in qualitative studies and to provide specific recommendations for future research. Qualitative research has gradually gained increasing acceptance in psychological research and, more specifically, in counseling and psychotherapy research. In any research endeavor, researchers are obligated to justify to the research community that they have done due diligence that they have established a rationale for the study, a clear description of the data collection procedures and data analytic methods, and a clear description and interpretation of the data. The chapter suggests that there are three major categories of trustworthiness to which all qualitative researchers must attend: integrity of the data; balance between reflexivity and subjectivity; and clear communication of findings. Integrity of the data refers to the adequacy or the dependability of the data. Interpretivists tend to maintain a certain distance from the research, whereas constructivists tend to immerse themselves more completely in the participants experiences.
